Chocolate with popping breathing mint, protein: 5 products show the future of snacks.

Last week, more than 14,500 people in Indianapolis arrived for 2025 Sweets & SNACKS EXPO, where food giants such as Hershey, Ferro, Kona Gra Brand and Hwaseong Ligley presented many signature offers.

Only a few steps from this huge display were hundreds of small candies and snack innovators packaged in a small booth that exhibited new products to retailers, competitors and other attendees.

Some products have been only a few months. Others have been around for several years. But one thing that manufacturers of these products have in common is to expand in food spaces that are looking for a big break or rejected by choice.

Here are five products that attract our attention.

Breathrox brings pop to a stagnant mint space

Fizzy Breath Month brand Breathrox wants to refresh the bad category.

Breathrox contains crystals such as pop rocks that help you wipe your mouth, and plays an important role in activating the saliva of a person that helps to neutralize zinc and bad breathing gas.

Jonathan Tanner, CEO of the brand, said that the breathing mint space has not seen significant innovations for decades and is dominated by products such as Altoids and TIC TAC, which is now a “perfume candy”. Lastly, the main breathing mint was Hershey’s icebreaker in the 1990s.

“At the end of the day, we are trying to do things that have not been done for almost 30 years,” said Tanner.

Breathrox was created in 2013 and eventually sold more than $ 3 million on home shopping TV channels and Facebook, but the team knew that it was necessary to expose at retail stores to grow brands that lack expertise. Breathrox was basically dormant during Covid-19 and sold to Tanner and other investors in 2023.

They gave the makeup needed for the brand, and in the second half of that year, they started again with the former pop rock management, Lynn Hesson. Breathrox is currently sold at about 4,000 pharmacies, hardware stores and convenience stores, including 2,300 Circle K locations. It is provided with four flavors: Blue Raspberry, Cinnamon, Mint and Satermelon.

Breathrox plans to activate another category, Energy this summer. ASHWAGANDHA, B-vitamins, Ginseng, L-Temanine, magnesium and zinc launch caffeine pop candy. Each pouch has a cup of coffee.

Apple sauce pouch grows

BEL Brands owned by GOGO SQUEEZ wants to prove that the Apple source pocket is not for children.

Last year, the company debuted The electrolyte, the high -quoques active fruit blend, sugar, containing trendy minerals, and sugar were not added and vitamin C was high. Unlike apple sauce pouches targeting children under 6 years of age, GOGO SQUEEZ Active aims to be a teenager and adult before activity.

Daniele Kellington-Welsh, a national account manager of BEL Brands, said, “We want to maintain that consumer.” They became more active children and active adults. So it was an opportunity to move the brand forward. “

GOGO SQUEEZ Active includes an apple source base in the original pouch, but adds strawberries, pineapples and orange puree to other materials. Pouches are different from other electrolyte products because of the fact that the shelf is stable for up to one year. Kellington-Welsh said.

The founder of RXBAR provides protein improvement to chocolate.

As the child grows, Jared Smith recalls that his dad will not hesitate.

At that time, it didn’t take so long to move a meal to Smith, who co -founded the protein snack producer RXBAR.

Smith said, “This led the brand that connects the two worlds between nutrition and candy.

In April, Smith launched Hormbles Chormbles, a high protein chocolate brand made of oil and milk protein, cocoa powder, monk fruit and other ingredients. Classic milk, salted fuzzy, peanut butter and cookies and creams include 10 grams of protein, zero sugar and 100 calories.

Chocolate is an attractive category because it is a generous treatment that many people enjoy. The sector said that the ethically supplied ingredients and sugar have not seen major innovations for several years, beyond zero sugar, SMITH said. He added that the high protein chocolate brand of calories, zero sugar and candy has never been done before.

“Many chocolate brands found on the shelves are the same brands as they were tricks or trees.” “The entire category did not do much. So chocolate’s gap was the biggest of other sets of true innovation.”

smith We sold rxbar In 2017, a huge Kellanova for $ 600 million said that a snack still remains to react to Horbley.

Through RXBAR, the brand aims to be a small population statistics to eat more healthy and knows how to reach. The task of Hormbles Chormbles is that almost everyone enjoys chocolate, so it is more difficult for the early brand to understand how to connect with the object.

“We are still aware of it. Now, we are interested in health, go to sugar, sugar, candy, gymnasium, exercise and eat protein, and people who eat casual people on the go,” he added. “It’s really for everyone.”

Focusfuel provides clearness to caffeine.

Brandon Herwig and his partners have a chance to shock the market every billion in the messy powder such as Monster and Red Bull and the energy market dominated by canned beverages.

As a result, it is launched in 2024 and is a gummy with other attributes such as caffeine and nootropics, electrolytes and L-theanine. This combination is designed to provide a smooth and continuous energy boost without anxiety or conflict related to most caffeine products.

FOCUSFUEL was first designed with gamers in mind, but executives quickly learned that yoga lovers, busy parents, college students and other health -sensitive individuals, earnestly want to pick up a new way to pick up quickly.

“This was a very fast realization of how universal this product could be.”

Each Focusfuel Gummy has a 50mm caffeine. This format provides the ability to control the amount of caffeine boosts for consumers. One focus fuel is equivalent to soda, the two are the same as one cup of coffee, and three are similar to energy drinks.

The Gummy format also provides a wide canvas to Focusfuel to innovate and launch limited time flavors such as Cola or Mystery products.

Focusfuel has gained popularity. The brand posted sales of $ 1.5 million in the first year, and most of them were sold through Amazon and GNC, which are consumers’ direct channels. Nearly two -thirds of consumers have returned to the second time, which is a promising start of the new business.

Herwig said Focusfuel could complement coffee and replacement depending on the case. It is good news for executives who have a self -proclaimed coffee lover who turns into a popular drink every morning.

“I like that coffee experience,” he said. “If I rush and need something in the morning, I’ll take it instead of coffee, but I’m drinking coffee for 20 years.”

magic The straw throws an order Daily drink

Endless fun is to bring some HOCUS POCUS to the drink space.

Headquartered in Minnesota, the company sells a magical straw with flavor, allowing children to drink milk from chocolate and strawberries to cotton candy and bubble gum. Endless Fun, which was launched almost 1/4 years ago, sold more than a billion straws containing less than 5 grams of sugar.

A year and a half ago, endless fun expanded the line to encourage consumers to drink more water. The straw is provided in five varieties and each taste is combined. Two of them are electrolyte in the peach lemonade and kiwi strawberry.

When a consumer drinks water, the liquid comes in contact with the small beads of the straw and gives the first taste before touching the nearby foaming tab that adds the second taste.

David Ehrlich, vice president of sales fun at Endless Fun, said that endless fun plans to continue plans by launching immune defense straw. Another product for probiotics is expected in the next few years.

Ehrich added that the sale of magic straws “not slow soon” adds that consumers of all ages like to use straws to drink drinks. “We are the only person in the world. No one can taste milk or taste water.”

Magic straws are sold by a variety of retailers, including restaurants, grocery stores, hardware, gifts, toys and candy shops.